TITLE: Division of Forces
AUTHOR: Joanne
DISCLAIMER: Not mine, never will be.
DISTROBUTION: Want. Take. Have. Just leave me the URL.
RATING: At the moment, PG, but likely will go up.
SUMMARY: Obi-Wan is sent off on a mission without
Anakin.
A/N: Just for the sake of removing the Padme-factor in
the easiest way possible, this fic is set a bit before
AotC.

Part I

Anakin could still remember the the first heavy
rainstorm he'd witnessed. It was roughly a month after
Obi-Wan had begun instructing him in the ways of the
Force. Even with all of the new knowledge he had
gained since leaving Tatooine, Anakin had still been
awed by the sight of so much rain pouring down from
the heavens. His failure to heed Obi-Wan's warning to
stay indoors had left him sick for much of the
following week.

Still, nearly ten years later, Anakin found it
impossible to remain indoors when the clouds unleashed
such a torrent. He stood on the balcony that opened
from the common room in their quarters, his right hand
held out from under the protective overhang so that
the rain spattered onto his fingertips. The rain
beaded against his skin, pooling in the indentations
between his fingers.

Bringing his hand back under the awning, Anakin shook
the moisture from the limb before removing his outer
robes. Glancing over his shoulder even though he knew
the room to be empty, Anakin stepped fully into the
rain. He tilted his head back, eyes closed and allowed
the rain to soak into him. The two tunics that he wore
received the brunt of the rain's effects, the linen
fabric offering little protection. Had it not been for
the speeders and other personal crafts zooming past
the balcony he would have shed all his clothes in
order to feel the rain more completely.

Had he seen him, Obi-Wan would have no doubt laughed
at him. His master had always found his fascination
with water amusing. Obi-Wan was an indulgent mentor,
though. When Anakin was fourteen, Obi-Wan had taken
him to one of the moons of of Endor. This moon was
riddled with rivers and waterfalls, an unexpected
treat for a boy who had grown up on a desert planet.
They had been unable to stay as long as Anakin would
have liked, but the memory remained vivid during the
years that had passed.

"I thought we had come to the agreement that standing
in the rain was decidedly harmful to an individual's
health. Yours in particular."

Anakin grimaced at the sound of Obi-Wan's voice. He
had been so caught up in his memories that he had not
paid any attention to what was happening around him.
He should have sensed, if not physically heard, his
master's return to their shared quarters.

"A noble intention," Obi-Wan conceded, the corners of
his lips curving upwards ever so slightly. "I would
suggest in the future, though, that you seek such
meditations in the fresher. There you will at least be
able to control the temperature of the water. Come
now, back indoors."

With one final glance skyward, Anakin reluctantly
stepped back into the building. Obi-Wan ushered him
immediately towards the fresher, ordering him to
removed his soaked clothes while he began to pat the
younger man dry with a fresh towel. This last act was
done in silence. Whatever his master's intentions
were, Anakin could not sense. Anakin meanwhile allowed
himself a small measure of comfort as Obi-Wan smoothed
the towel over his body, from the top of his head to
the soles of his feet. He reveled in every touch,
which seemed to be a caress.

"You, my young padawan, will one day be the death of
me," Obi-Wan said lightly as he rose to his full
height which, over the past year, had become shorter
than Anakin's own. "Now go put on some dry clothes
while I prepare you something hot to drink."

Anakin did as he was instructed without secondthought. Entering his own sleeping quarters he dressed
in a pair of dark brown trousers and a loose, black
tunic. His feet he left bare, preferring to feel of
the ground beneath his soles. He felt far more
grounded barefoot, linking him to the world around him
not only through the Force, but through physical
contact as well.

As he emerged into the common area a short while
later, Obi-Wan was already seated on the sofa. Anakin
himself felt oddly subdued as he padded across the
room, stopping near the arm of the sofa opposite from
where his master sat. His hesitation was long enough
for Obi-Wan to notice and look up. Before their eyes
had a chance to meet, Anakin scurried around the arm
of the sofa, stepping one foot onto the cushion
nearest his end, swinging the rest of his body up so
that he sat cross-legged. It surprised him that with
this position he faced Obi-Wan fully for he had meant
to face away from the older man.

"Much better, Anakin," Obi-Wan murmured, handing over
one of the steaming mugs in his hands. "It has been
some time since you partook in that particular
activity."

Anakin stared down into the mug he held in his lap.
"You had been stranded on that system in the Outer Rim
and no one could get in contact with you. The Council
feared the worst."

"When in fact it had simply been my own less than
exemplar piloting skills that led to the whole
mishap," Obi-Wan admitted, his lips quirking slightly.
"I believe that is how you managed to convince the
Council that you should be allowed to upgrade my
arfour unit with all of those after market
alterations. I have not crashed a starfighter or
personal shuttle since. Which begs the question of
what it is that is troubling you this time."

"I do not care much for this new mission you have been
given," Anakin admitted, pursing his lips.

Obi-Wan twisted his upper body so that he faced the
younger man more fully. Then he lifted his left hand,
touching it to Anakin's temple. Anakin leaned
immediately into the touch, savouring the wash of
comfort that it filled him with. He focused on the
feel of his master's fingertips which did not stray
far from his temple, venturing briefly into his
short-cropped hair for a moment before returning to
their earlier location.

"It will only be for a few days, Anakin. Not even a
full week," Obi-Wan reminded him, not withdrawing his
hand as Anakin tilted his head into the Jedi's palm.
"I had thought you would rejoice from the reprieve you
have been given from my constant supervision."

"The Council's orders are too contradictory. They say
that I may not accompany you because it is too
dangerous, yet they send you alone. If something
should go wrong you could be killed or captured before
the Council even knew about it." Anakin turned his
face fully into Obi-Wan's palm so that the older man
would not see the tears glittering in his eyes. "They
should not endanger you so."

Obi-Wan shifted about slightly and then Anakin felt
the mug being extracted from his hands. Even as
Obi-Wan moved to set the mug aside he did not remove
his hand from Anakin's cheek, something which greatly
comforted the younger man. Obi-Wan fanned his fingers
across Anakin's still exposed cheek, thumb ghosting
over the upper swell of his cheekbone.

"You worry needlessly, Anakin. I have been to this
system before and have friends there," his master
assured him as he carefully nudged Anakin's head back
around to face him.

Anakin blinked repeatedly to hide his tears before
meeting Obi-Wan's gaze. "If it is so safe why am I not
permitted to accompany you? I am your padawan learner
and I can hardly be expected to learn if I am stuck
here on Coruscant."

Obi-Wan's eyes twinkled with amusement that
immediately helped to soothe his nerves. "You are, as
you so delicately put it, 'stuck here' because of your
penchant for finding trouble where none otherwise
exists."

"Oh."

"Precisely," Obi-Wan grinned, allowing his right arm
to fall away. His left hand remained where it was and
he leaned his elbow against the back of the sofa to
support it. "Matters are somewhat delicate at the
moment and both the Council and the Senate would
prefer it if we could refrain from more aggressive
negotiations for the time being."

While he understood the Council's logic, Anakin didn't
agree with it. He would not agree to anything that
left Obi-Wan trapped on an alien planet with no
back-up. If anything should go wrong on the mission,
Obi-Wan could be in serious trouble before any aid the
Council could send would arrive. Imprisonment,
torture, death; all of those were practically
guarantees that the Council was ensuring by sending
Obi-Wan to the Ranth'fer system alone.

"You could tell the Council that you were unaware that
I had hidden myself on your shuttle," Anakin
suggested, staring up at his master hopefully.

Obi-Wan smiled at him fondly, but still shook his
head. "I cannot allow it, Anakin, and you know it. The
Council has made its decision and it is not for us to
question it."

Though he still felt the need to argue, Anakin
remained silent. There was no point to it. Obi-Wan
would follow the Council's directives above all else.
And while Anakin respected his master for his utter
faith in his beliefs, it was at times utterly
frustrating. Anakin couldn't do that. Like Obi-Wan he
believed in the philosophies of the Order, but he
couldn't follow them as steadfastly as his master.
After ten years it was unlikely that he ever would.

"Do not think for one moment that I believe you have
given up so easily," Obi-Wan chided, leaning back to
retrieve the mugs of tea. "You are far too tenacious,
my young padawan."

"You are my master. It is natural that I should be
concerned for you."

Obi-Wan nodded his head slightly and took a minute sip
of his tea. "So I see that it is my sentiments you
will play against. How very underhanded of you."

Anakin's smile was unrepentant even if it didn't
entirely reach his eyes. "I am only doing as I myself
was taught, master. Was it not you who used such
tactics to reveal to me the truth of Palpatine's
intentions?"

"I merely appealed to your better judgment," Obi-Wan
amended, his lips tilted up in a slight smile. "I was
most relieved to find some of it remaining."

Anakin scowled, but did not retaliate verbally. He was
content at the moment to enjoy Obi-Wan's presence for
as long as it would be allowed. For Anakin to simply
be near his master was a soothing balm to his soul. It
had been so for many years. There had been many nights
those first few months on Coruscant that Anakin had
been woken by nightmares. Those nights, once he had
woken, Anakin had climbed into Obi-Wan's bed where
he'd sleep peacefully until dawn. Even when he was
older, Obi-Wan would not turn him away.

That night was no exception. The exception was that he
did not even attempt to sleep in his own bed. He
followed Obi-Wan into his sleeping quarters, hovering
near the door until his master noticed him. For a
time, Obi-Wan didn't say a word as he stripped out of
his clothing, donning a pair of loose sleep pants.

"You do not intend to sleep fully dressed, do you?"

Anakin released a shuddering breath, dispelling his
fears into the Force. He could not manage to rid
himself of all his fears, though. Not with Obi-Wan
still intending to leave come morning. He could not
help but fear for his master.

"You worry too much, Anakin," Obi-Wan murmured against
his temple as he drew the younger man into his arms.
"It is not for a Jedi to worry so over matters that
are not within their control."

"It would be within my control if the Council would
allow me to accompany you to Ranth'fer," Anakin
protested as he attempted to mold his body to
Obi-Wan's.

"This is likely a test for you. It is the Council's
way of seeing whether you will obey orders that are
not necessarily to your liking," Obi-Wan offered,
sinking his fingers into Anakin's hair. "It is a test
we all must endure at some point during our times as
padawans. As you can well imagine, mine involved a
great deal of flying."

Anakin allowed himself a brief smile. He had never
been able to comprehend how a being who had traveled
the galaxy as extensively as his master could be so
nervous about flying. Anakin suspected that there had
been some type of crash or accident when Obi-Wan had
been younger; some mishap that had created his
master's well documented phobia.

Lying wrapped in Obi-Wan's arms, Anakin began to feel
much more relaxed. The uneasy humming that had been
buzzing in the back of his mind faded almost to
non-existence. As he hadn't wanted to leave Obi-Wan
for the time it would take to go to his own room,
Anakin wore a pair of sleep pants borrowed from the
older man. The bed they lay in was no different than
the single bed in Anakin's own room. Jedi were not
meant to form attachments so there was no need to give
Obi-Wan a larger bed. Anakin was glad that the bed was
small as it gave him an excuse to lie so close to
Obi-Wan that they were pressed together from shoulders
to knees, their legs entwined.

And though he had stopped wishing for things long ago,
Anakin pleaded with the Force to keep his master safe
on his mission to Ranth'fer.